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Objectives: This study investigated the association between the decline of the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and several family‐level and individual‐level factors among 6‐ to 18‐year‐old Taiwanese children from 2012 to 2020. Methods: This study used data from the 2012 and 2020 Taiwan National Oral Health Survey of Children and Adolescents. Both surveys used similar methods and were performed in the same study age group. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on parents' sociodemographic background; the number of children in the family; oral health‐related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; and children's dietary habits. Dental caries was recorded through standardized oral examinations. Multivariable multilevel zero‐inflated negative binomial regression models were used to determine the association between family‐level and individual‐level factors and the DMFT index from 2012 to 2020. Results: A total of 10 217 and 10 436 schoolchildren completed the oral examinations and questionnaires in the 2012 and 2020 surveys, respectively. The adjusted mean DMFT index of 12‐year‐old Taiwanese schoolchildren in 2020 was 2.01, denoting a significant decline from 2.50 in 2012 (adjusted mean ratio = 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17, 0.23, p <.0001). Furthermore, children who often consumed sugar‐rich drinks had a significantly higher risk (mean ratio = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10) of having DMFT than those who seldom consumed such drinks (p =.017). Conclusions: In the period of 2012–2020, the DMFT index among Taiwanese children significantly declined. Children who often consumed sugar‐rich drinks had a higher DMFT index than those who seldom consumed such drinks. Our findings are valuable to paediatricians, dentists, nutritionists, and public health policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the spiritual needs of community‐dwelling older people living with early‐stage dementia. Design: A descriptive qualitative research design with purposive sampling was used. Methods: Ten older people who were receiving home care services from a mental hospital in central Taiwan were recruited. In‐depth semistructured interviews were conducted and content analysis was performed. Findings: Four themes emerged that described the spiritual wishes and needs of older people with early‐stage dementia: the wish to turn back time, the need to instill meaning into past experiences, the need to rely on faith‐based strength, and the wish to have one's remaining life under control. The spiritual needs centered on a strong yearning to engage in a tug‐of‐war with time to reverse the impaired memory and independence. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the spiritual needs of older people with early‐stage dementia. They struggled to maintain a balance between independence and dependence, build a sense of self and value, seek guidance and support from religious faith, and retain control over their lives. Clinical Relevance: The findings can be expected to help caregivers improve care of older people with dementia by empowering older people to hold onto control in their lives and providing opportunities for them to connect with others for fulfilling their spiritual needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To deal with the increasing long-term care (LTC) needs of elderly people in Taiwan, the government launched the Ten-year Long-term Care Project (TLTCP) in 2007, and through the care management system, care plans for those in need were distributed and implemented by care managers according to the single assessment process. Based on the emphasis of linking the right need assessment to the care plan, this study aimed to explore the need profiles of LTC recipients with regard to their health indicators to serve as a validity check on the identified dependency levels and care plans in the current care management system. Design A model based on latent class analysis (LCA) was used for dealing with the issue of health heterogeneity. LCA provides an empirical method that examines the interrelationships among health indicators and characterizes the underlying set of mutually exclusive latent classes that account for the observed indicators. The analysis included a total of 2901 elderly care recipients in the LTC dataset from a southern city, 1 of the 5 major metropolitan areas in Taiwan. The identified dependency levels of the samples and their care plans in need assessment were compared and discussed. Results Four need profiles were explored in the LTC dataset. Apart from the low (LD) (32.95%) and moderate dependent groups (MD) (17.48%), there were 2 groups identified among the high-dependency levels, including the severe physical and psychological dependency (SPP) (26.37%) and the comorbidities and severe dependency (CSD) groups (23.20%), which in sum were approximately identified as high dependency (HD) by care managers in the LTC dataset. In addition, the CSD group currently costs more for their care plans on average in LTC services (NT. 277,081.15, approximately 9200 USD) than the SPP group (NT. 244,084.21) and the other groups. Conclusion Need assessment is a key to success in care management in LTC. The results of this study showed the importance of focusing on multifacet indicators, especially the mental and social health indicators in need assessments by improving the unified assessment process to sensitively detect those with various needs and then link them to the right care plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]